Aquino pushing hard to move ARMM polls

MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino was to have lunch Tuesday with Senators during which he intended to prod them to pass a bill postponing the scheduled August elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in order to synchronize with nationwide elections in May 2013.

With only four weeks of sessions in Congress, President Aquino said that the Palace will “exert all efforts” to have the bill passed.

“We have to ask the Senate to expedite it,” he told reporters, reminding them that the House had already approved its own version.

The President also recalled that he has certified the measure on the ARMM electoral postponement as urgent.

The fate of the postponement of the ARMM elections now lies with the Senate, which has yet to come up with a committee report on the measure. The Senate local government committee, headed by Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, has only held one hearing on the bill.

Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto said it would be “tough” to pass the measure due to time constraints and because some Senators were opposed to the postponement.